diff --git a/weed/shell/command_ec_common.go b/weed/shell/command_ec_common.go
index c0c709365..cd97f814d 100644
--- a/weed/shell/command_ec_common.go
+++ b/weed/shell/command_ec_common.go
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ package shell
 
 import (
 	"context"
-	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"regexp"
 	"slices"
@@ -537,13 +536,6 @@ func sourceServerDeleteEcShards(grpcDialOption grpc.DialOption, collection strin
 
 }
 
-// errFullTeardownNotAcked marks a VolumeEcShardsDelete whose server did not
-// echo full_teardown_done -- a pre-upgrade volume server silently ignoring the
-// flag. The pre-encode sweep treats it as fatal only for a reported (mounted)
-// leftover; for an unreported node it is best-effort, since that node likely had
-// nothing to wipe and an old server cannot acknowledge either way.
-var errFullTeardownNotAcked = errors.New("volume server did not perform full teardown")
-
 // unmountAndDeleteEcShardsQuiet unmounts then deletes shards on one server in a
 // single connection, without the per-call logging the interactive helpers emit.
 // Used by the orphan sweep, which fans out to every node x volume and would
@@ -567,7 +559,7 @@ func unmountAndDeleteEcShardsQuiet(grpcDialOption grpc.DialOption, collection st
 			return fmt.Errorf("delete: %w", err)
 		}
 		if !resp.GetFullTeardownDone() {
-			return fmt.Errorf("delete on %s: %w", location, errFullTeardownNotAcked)
+			return fmt.Errorf("delete on %s did not perform full teardown (pre-upgrade volume server?); a stale EC generation may remain", location)
 		}
 		return nil
 	})
diff --git a/weed/shell/command_ec_encode.go b/weed/shell/command_ec_encode.go
index f5918adee..b106b2868 100644
--- a/weed/shell/command_ec_encode.go
+++ b/weed/shell/command_ec_encode.go
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ package shell
 
 import (
 	"context"
-	"errors"
 	"flag"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
@@ -406,11 +405,12 @@ func clearPreexistingEcShards(commandEnv *CommandEnv, topologyInfo *master_pb.To
 			ewg.Add(func() error {
 				if err := unmountAndDeleteEcShardsQuiet(commandEnv.option.GrpcDialOption, collection, vid, addr, allShardIds); err != nil {
 					// Surface a reachable node whose delete genuinely failed (its orphan would
-					// be re-stamped by a later copy installing the new .vif). Stay best-effort
-					// for an unreachable node (it cannot receive this new generation) and for
-					// a pre-upgrade node that did not ack full_teardown on an UNREPORTED pair
-					// (it likely had nothing to wipe); a reported leftover stays fatal.
-					if fatal || (!isNodeUnreachable(err) && !errors.Is(err, errFullTeardownNotAcked)) {
+					// be re-stamped by a later copy installing the new .vif). A missing
+					// full_teardown ack from a reachable pre-upgrade node is fatal too: it may
+					// still hold an orphan a later copy would re-stamp into the new generation.
+					// Stay best-effort only for an unreachable node, which cannot receive this
+					// new generation at all.
+					if fatal || !isNodeUnreachable(err) {
 						return fmt.Errorf("clear stale ec shards for volume %d on %s: %w", vid, addr, err)
 					}
 					glog.V(1).Infof("orphan sweep: volume %d on %s skipped: %v", vid, addr, err)